07: Onwards! The Mettle of Trothkin are Tested, and Tales of Nemeses Collected

[gurrenbrigbonded]

(Backdated to Before Grand Unified Theory Mission, and Open to All.)

[1]

Some time has passed since the Gurren Brigade Tryouts. You haven't heard much about that whole business, despite the big Land Battleship with stump feet that follows the Chalice about.

But then, communiques are sent to all those who expressed interest in taking part in the grand activities of the Gender-Neutral Brotherhood of Manly Souls at the meeting: invites, to be precise! Invites inviting all honorary members of the Gurren Brigade to a military exercise, in which there will be tactical drills, maneuvering practice, a mock battle, and–for those who prefer other such things–free snacks, drinks, and pastries at the end of it!

Those who show up to the Dai-Gurren will find it's own hanger filled with some mechs– a Dorbek and Dogozzo IIC, Matthew's own Nova Messenger, the Juaggu...and a Dom Tropen, stumbling about the relatively cramped hanger like a drunken loon as three familiar people attempt to dodge out of it's way.

"Don't overcompensate!" Matthew shouts up to the Dom's open cockpit, backing away from it with Chandra and Eilena. "Let the mech move itself! Work in harmony with it's Earth Sphere self-balancing software!"



"Stop throwing Nova Cat claptrap at me!" Tynall shouts. "Why does this stravag junk-heap not have a neuro-helmet like actual, proper mechs?"

Help out?

[2]

It's tactical drill time! Want to practice anti-mech tactics? Want to practice anti-mech tactics without a mech of your own? Learn how to to dodge things? Show off?

[3]

It's mock battle time! Two equally balanced forces, advancing through, a hilly, forested region with a huge lake, asserting supremacy over each other with paint-rounds and dialed down lasers! Who shall prove superior?

Also, a certain individual onboard the nearby Dai-Gurren may randomly decide to bombard you all. With paint shells. We think.

[4]

It's snack time! A table of refreshments is nearby! Hor-devores, tiny, sugary pastries, and various beverages! It also happens to be on the prow of the Dai-Gurren, a three-barrel battleship cannon right above your head.

At one point in this quasi-party, Matthew, tapping a fork against a glass for attention, will ask you all:

"Friends, Comrades, Trothkin. If there is one thing we have gained in our time aboard the White Chalice, during great battles and fierce conflicts, in our many travels and constant roaming...it is stories. Stories of others, and stories of our own. And among these stories of ours, the most prevalent story, I have heard, is that of rivalry. Of personal conflicts against other individuals, set against each other by differing ideals and beliefs.

For those who feel comfortable speaking of such things, I ask: what nemeses have you fought against in your time here? What rivals and adversaries have you encountered, and what is or was the mettle of their character?"

Comments

3

[lastfeather]

[And Ryou's having the Nevermore stalk through the treeline. Its dark color scheme certainly helped for the needs of stealth... but what made things REALLY interesting was that he switched out from the machines two legged configuration into its quadrupedal mode... and the ECM systems that took the place of his Napalm Rockets were working quite well.]

[He raised the heavy rifle in the AC's arms veeery carefully and takes careful aim. Paint Round or not... he may as well treat this like an actual engagement.]

Re: 3

[gurrenbrigbonded]

Matthew's Nova advances, acting as a scout for this sortie, advances through the nearby hill-lines, moving from cover to cover.

It's heat signature is particularly pronounced, and the dull, glowing radiator fins make it a fairly noticeable visual target.

It stops suddenly, as if in the process of scanning the surrounding region.

Act or wait?

[lastfeather]

[May as well not take any chances. He pulls the trigger - aiming to get a good hit at the cockpit. Even if it isn't a very accurate hit - the strike would have paint scatter across the cockpit.]

[gurrenbrigbonded]

A few shots whistle past Matthew's cockpit. Instinctively, he raises the Nova's arm and blocks the next few round with it.

His jump jets light up, and he starts maneuvering to the left, bombarding your location with several lasers...from his right arm pod only, the other pod hanging limp.

[lastfeather]

[Matthew, the black and red quadruped soon rushes out of cover - it takes a few hits of course, across its arms and chest, you nail the anti missile system with your sim-fire and disable it too - you'll also notice the massive cannon on its back swinging over its shoulder to target you. There is now a gigantic paint round rushing towards your mech.]

[gurrenbrigbonded]

Matthew triggers his jump jets and soars upward, the round clipping his leg and giving him a simulated limp and a potential leg collapse if he touches down too hard.

He aims at the cannon unit and fires off a full Nova Burst, five lasers lashing out all at once at the cannon...and then again. The simulated heat-curve on Matthew's Nova begins to rise higher and higher, and actual heat in his cockpit starts to makes sweat run his collar.

[lastfeather]

[As it registers as dead weight, Ryou disengages the weapon. Matthew, you may wish to note that the Nevermore has now gained considerable speed as it has purged its dead weight.]

Got you.

[The weapon on the other shoulder swings down. Only this time it was firing off massive clusrters of paint rounds like a shotgun.]

[gurrenbrigbonded]

Ryou strategized well. With Matthew at the height of his Nova's ascension, his maneuverability is impeded as his Nova's jump jets struggle against gravity.

Which is why Matthew grits his teeth and shuts them off.

The Nova drops like a rock, taking only half the spray of paint, which brings is still enough to give it critical damage. As Matthew falls, he takes aim right at Ryou's own cockpit–

"Alright! Fire-Fire-fire-fire!"

Some maniac onboard Land Battleship Dai-Gurren launches a bombardment of paint artillery rounds towardsMatthew and Ryou's general vicinity.

The Shells impact all around! Paint is flying everywhere! And Matthew howls something inarticulate over the comms!

[lastfeather]

[And Ryou's purging the shotcannon as well to get even more manuevering speed! Of course the paint barrage ends up with him taking much more simulated damage and putting him in critical. His leg systems were 'crippled']

Great. Just. Great.

[gurrenbrigbonded]

Matthew, through desperate feathering of his jump jets, manages to land his Nova more or less intact...

And then the simulation settings on his mech computer decide that the 'enemy' and 'friendly' fire has crippled his hind limbs.

And the Nova falls onto it's back.

Raising his fist to the sky beyond his cockpit, Matthew calls out on open comm...

"Attenborough!!!!!!!!!!!!"

1

[whats_a_paladin]

Having trouble adjusting to the new robots?

[Raynor can't help but be amused at the awkwardly stomping Mobile Suit.]

Re: 1

[gurrenbrigbonded]

Perhaps if it's control system made more sense, I would not be accidentally trodding upon you Spheroids, quiaff?" Tynall replies, embarrassment tainting her attempt at Clanner arrogance.

"Just try to let the suit move itself!" Matthew calls out. "And do not press the big red button!"

He turns and extends a hand to Raynor. "It is good to see you, Paragon! I was introducing some of the members of the Brigade to some Spheroid mech designs!"

He frowns. "Perhaps I should have had her pilot the Juaggu first."

[whats_a_paladin]

No, Dom is better. Learn to walk before you run! Aquatic Mobile Suits are harder to control than normal ones.

[Yeah, better get out of the way to avoid getting stomped. And call out to the pilot.]

Mobile Suit controls evolved from fighter jet ones! Have you ever piloted one before?

[gurrenbrigbonded]

"Do I look like a Stravag Aerospace Pilot?" Tynall snarls

"Ah, Paragon." Matthew says, faced filled with alarm. "Aerospace Pilots in the Clans do not even share the same gene sequences as–"

"Neg! I am a trueborn Mechwarrior of the Clans, and there is no mech, however shoddy..."

The Dom takes a stable step forward. Then another.

"...that I cannot master!"

The Dom comes to a halt. The hatch slides open to reveal Tynall grinning smugly.

"You see that, Mechwarrior Joz! That is genetic superiority! Now, to uncover the mystery of this Red button..."

Matthew, without words, tries to yank Raynor out of the way.

[whats_a_paladin]

Have you even read the instructions?!

[Raynor yells as he's pulled to safety.]

[gurrenbrigbonded]

"Instructions?" Matthew blinks in confusion.

The Dom's hover skirts activate, and it zips forwards, kicking up dust in Matthew and Raynor's face.

"Stravag!!!!!" Tynall hollers from the open cockpit, as the Dom tears out of the hanger and onto the prow's runway...heading towards the edge.

Eilena, watching the Dom swoop past with wide eyes, runs to a nearby console and taps at the icons.

"I have a radio link to Tynall: what do I say?"

[whats_a_paladin]

The two levers in the middle, pull them! But gently, or else the whole Suit will topple over!

[gurrenbrigbonded]

Eilena shouts the instructions to Tynall over the comms.



"Aff! Two levers...pulled gently!"

The Dom begins to slow down...then the hover jets cut off several meters before the edge of the Land Battleship Dai-Gurren's prow! The Dom stumbles a bit forward, then checks itself, Tynall panting for breath...

"Ah...Surat-spawn! I did not anticipate that...still, not bad for a first attempt, right Mechwarrior Joz?"

Matthew quietly exhales in relief behind you.

[whats_a_paladin]

We avoided any gruesome casualties, at least.

Most new Mobile Suit pilots here learn from instruction manuals or practice in two-seated training machines. Don't you have any such things?

[gurrenbrigbonded]

"Two-seated machines? Neg." Matthew replies. "There is preparatory sim work and scrapped torsos used for practice. But the sibkos of the Clan are expected to...I believe the phrase is 'sink or swim'. Any who do not promptly master a Battlemech's controls are demoted to a lower caste."



"Aff." Tynall affirms. "Clan Mechwarriors have wound up being genetically predisposed to quick learning, as a result."



"Says the one who nearly dove off the edge of a land battleship." Eilena points out.



"She should have activated the Mech's Getter Wing function." Chandra replies, climbing down the ladder from the bridge area.

"I do not think Dom Tropens have deployable wings..." Matthew replies, looking thoughtful.

[whats_a_paladin]

Sinking is almost what you did right now.

I'll bring the newbie user's manual from my academy days. Promise to read it, okay?

[gurrenbrigbonded]

Both Matthew and Tynal rub the backs of their heads sheepishly.

"Aff." Aff..."

4

[nietzsche_waifu]

[Oh boy does Devon have a story to tell! It feels like it's been ages... but she still remembers it vividly.]

Let me tell you about Shifting Entities. Mindless creatures that sought to undo most life on Earth, piece by piece - all in the name of their long-gone masters.

They claimed many lives. Including... many of my dear friends. Most of them because of interference of Thoughts of Ascension, a wicked human cult that worshipped them.

Re: 4

[gurrenbrigbonded]

Matthew turns to face Devon and listens quietly.

"What aspect of their master's will caused them to seek the destruction of life? And why would certain humans choose to serve them so?" He asks.

Why does any person choose to serve a blatantly wicked cause? Matthew wonders to himself.

1/2

[nietzsche_waifu]

By annihilating life, Shifting Entities harvested its DNA. When they harvested enough, they would return to their nest - when the most potent strands would be collected and used to lead evolution, now that it had room to grow with most ecological niches being empty.

This is the plan of the aliens who created them, millions of years ago. To speed up evolution of life on this planet. In their eyes, they were doing us a favor.

2/2

[nietzsche_waifu]

As for Ascenders themselves... they did not know of Shifting Entities' purpose. We did not, either. But we knew they were the enemy.

They did not. They thought they are messengers of gods, here to uplift humanity into a higher state of existence.

They were cultists, irredeemable and insane.

Re: 2/2

[gurrenbrigbonded]

"And who were the comrades who fought alongside you, to see that their mad vision would not come to pass?"

He ponders the matter.

"Technician Ericks must have fought with you, quiaff?"

[nietzsche_waifu]

Laura Ericks... is a Shifter. And like all Shifters, she fought. But there were many others - who had no special powers, except the power of human resolve.

Frank Symes. Adam Jacobs. Yelena Yashinova. Jake Wrought. Jun Kouzou. Alice Downing.

They all gave up their lives to save others'. They were...

My friends. Comrades to the end.

[gurrenbrigbonded]

"Selya." Matthew intones, bowing his head in silence for a time.

"How did your comrades, at their end, finally defeat the Shifting Entities?"

[nietzsche_waifu]

It happened while I was with White Chalice. Laura was there, of course, but the others...

Were long gone already.

[gurrenbrigbonded]

"I see." Matthew says quietly.

He sense that further prying would be inappropriate. Silently, he waits for Devon to continue of her own accord.

[nietzsche_waifu]

Over ten years ago... from my perspective, my friends sacrificed their lives to seal the Shifting Entities away. We thought they succeeded, but we were wrong.

The seal could be undone, and this is what the Thoughts of Ascension were working for. In the final battle, we finally fought off the whole of their forces, but the seal was broken already. Shifting Entities have returned, and an overwhelmingly powerful one attacked instantly.

We had no choice. Both me, and Laura - have entered the Shifting Entity, and controlled it. Then we returned to where they all came from, and destroyed their nest from within.

We did not expect to come back. Yet, here we are.

[gurrenbrigbonded]

Matthew inclines his head.

"I believe they will sing songs of the battles you and Laura fought for the earth..and of your comrades."

[nietzsche_waifu]

Yeah...

At first, I thought my battle was an unknown one. That no one knew about it, or cared.

White Chalice, its crew - made me realize how wrong I was.

4

[hobo_lantern]

Oh boy. Haven't you heard about the legendary rivalry me and my rival has? In fact, he's the reason I'm joining White Chalice in the first place. You've met him.

It's Werter Wolf! My one and only dearest rival.

Re: 4

[gurrenbrigbonded]

"I see!' Matthew exclaims. "That explains why your..."

He thinks about the bubble of confusion that is Prometheus and Epimetheus.

"...mechs are so similar in form! But this is more of a friendly rivalry, and less of a bitter feud, quiaff?"

Re: 4

[hobo_lantern]

Oh, I don't know about bitter but it was a feud, alright. I did everything I could to be better than him. And my challenges were what keeping him sharp. Bettering each other by keeping each other in edge... That's what rivalries are about.

Re: 4

[gurrenbrigbonded]

"Aff!" Matthew affirms. "That is the beauty of enemies, for in their conflict with each other, their qualities and talents in combat are honed to perfection: each one each other's grindstones, quiaff?"

[saikyocivrobo]

[In a completely different part of White Chalice, Werter sneezes and wonders what the hell.]

[hominilupusinexilio]

Whether here or in the afterworld, the soul that used to inhabit this cold shell is probably also sneezing

[gurrenbrigbonded]

Matthew feels a sudden chill run down his spine!

It's chilly.